"There's a lot of potential in people who just don't realise they have it - this is about trying to draw that potential out by doing something they would never normally do."

Jack Rolls, 21, has been out of work for a year and has been staying at the hostel for about seven months.

"Coming here gives us something to do," he said.

"There's always a danger that people sitting in a hostel doing nothing will get into drugs, violence and alcohol, but it's about having the strength to say 'nah' and coming down here and doing your thing.

"It's free and not many things for us lot come free."

'Horrible year'

Mr Rolls said the sessions had also been helpful in building relations with police.

"When you're young all you see is police coming after you, and you don't know the reasons why," he said.

"To have a police officer come along and help us out has helped open a few people's eyes up that the police are sometimes there to help you out."

Fellow resident Emily Smith agreed that it had given her a new perspective on the police.

"I had a horrible year last year - I went to prison twice and was in and out of the police station," she said.

"This is helping me to focus."

Melissa Hewitt, a support worker at Cavendish Lodge, said she had noticed a "big, big difference" in the people taking part in the sessions.

"A lot of the time they haven't got much to do, as most of them are unemployed," she said.

"When they come back they're a lot more upbeat, happy, raring to go and wanting to tackle life in general."